A New Awakening
by Cascata
Summary: The world cannot be truely relieved of its afflictions via the Negaverse. Though, while the Negaverse walks the Earth once more, is it they who are inflicting the mysterious plague? Or is it something else that not even the Senshi can combat? SemiAU. Rate


**Introduction:**

_Where Things Fell Amiss_

**Disclaimer: Beforehand I would just like to state that I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. I do, however, own the concept of my own characters and lay claim to most of the plot that follows (Exception of what I left in from the series). I am also fully aware that this is not exactly as it happened in the series, please don't try and correct me. I, the author, am fully aware of the changes. Enjoy -**

The air was heavy on this evening, a combination of the upcoming storm and the anticipation of this new threat. Tonight, Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity had been scheduled to meet, though such meetings were to be, once more, delayed. While he would be safer in the embrace of the Silver Moon, the Earth's prince was also amongst the more skilled of warriors, and his assistance in this battle was crucial for success. At his sister's recommendation, Endymion had summoned the soldier, Dalyite, to deliver the news to the Moon's royalty.

While ever so slightly offended that he should be cast off during such a battle for a petty message run, Dalyite also refused to dispute the desire of his betrothed, Princess Ceres, the younger sibling of Endymion. With his head held high, he made his way quickly through the transport beam to the extravagant Silver Moon Kingdom.

Upon his arrival, Dalyite had every intention of delivering said message. He wanted to return to the Earth and provide his assistance, even if only at the tail end of battle. The moment his eyes fell upon the fair princess, however, all desire of combat faded from him. She was everything he had ever dreamed of in a woman, here… in flesh. Her smile was almost blinding, and the way her platinum hair flowed around her moon-colored skin was enchanting. It was in that moment he found himself in love, truly, for the first time. Any thoughts of Earth's Princess faded, and when asked his name he responded simply, "Endymion, Prince of the Earth." The consequences of such lies not even occurring to him, and if they had, he didn't care.

Months later, the battles of Earth became even fiercer, though it became apparent to generals on both sides that by now it was solely political. While great respect grew for opponents on both sides of the fields, Queen Beryl continued her assault full on. Often, Dalyite was sent to the moon in the place of the prince, with news from the prince. The soldier and the princess fell very deeply in love, and to Dalyite's luck, no one suspected that his identity be false. At least, none who were present…

Persephone, meanwhile, was also facing problems of its own. Much like Earth, the Negaverse had begun its attack. Many messengers and distress calls had been sent from the planet, and none had been responded to. Despite the disappointment, the people of Persephone did not despair. Junko, the planet's princess, rose with her brother, Jiro, to lead their people to one more desperate battle. Knowing already their dark fate with lack of assistance, the people fought all the fiercer. With nothing to lose, they restrained nothing, and unleashed the power of their planet full force. They wouldn't go without leaving the Negaverse a memory of their will.

During this battle, a rather strong, and estranged, sorcerer of sorts appeared, targeting the sibling leaders. Her maniacal laughter filled the air as she sent waves to transform them both into small, weak beings of which she wouldn't kill, but rather force to behold the destruction of their planet before turning them into her personal playthings. Only Jiro had been hit by this wave, having seen it coming and shielded his sister, who in turn sent a rather nasty blade flying towards the witch.

Amusement was replaced with fury as the weapon struck the stunned sorceress. Waving her arm, both were entrapped within dark crystals and she pulled her troops back, in a feigned retreat. Once most were off the planet, the sorceress wasted no time in obliterating the entire planet… herself still on it as to avoid the wrath of Queen Beryl for destroying more territory.

By the time the calls of distress reached Earth, there was nothing left of the once prosperous Persephone save for a long row of fragments… drifting away, two fragments containing a brother and a sister, frozen in their last moments in combat.

_Earth's Final Battle_

The absence of her betrothed had hardly dampened her mood. More and more, Ceres had found that her brother's company was always that much more enjoyable. Since the deaths of their parents, the siblings found comfort only in one another, and in this war no friends could be made without fear, or even knowledge, that they would be dead before too long. It had been a curse to the young pair, being strong and keen enough to survive even this long… though they lived for each other rather than allow death to release them as well.

Brushing stray white hair from her flawless fair skin, Ceres watched her brother meet in the courtyard with one of the Negaverse's top generals sent to Earth. While her eyes would have before wandered curiously to the abnormally handsome, dark leader of her foes, they instead remained locked on Endymion. Her stomach fluttered and she flushed as she recalled his gentle embrace that morning after word of Jedite's betrayal. That was the last of Endymion's trusted generals, and it put Earth in quite a predicament.

Realization then struck her as she felt her heart flutter. This emotion did not bode well for her, she knew. It wasn't possible, it wasn't right. Turning from the window she leaned against the wall and slid down, holding the sides of her head, frantic to somehow change this. All the warmth that that cursed emotion granted her melted into a frozen despair. She was in love with her brother, a blasphemy she'd have never thought possible.

How could this happen? Ceres's mind quickly raced through the possibilities. Justifications. Anything! Until finally, teachings she'd received before battle surfaced and she relaxed after a moment of thinking it through. Battle high. It had been the cause of many unhealthy relationships and emotions. Being surrounded by such dramatic and negative events, the mind plays tricks on combatants, giving them the emotion of love to balance all else with a positive feeling. After the war, this would go away. In time.

Despite her relief, Ceres felt filthy for even thinking of her brother in the manner she had. She swore to herself there that she would repeat none of this to anyone, especially Endymion. Wrapping her arms around herself she began to hope that she would once more find peace in the world.

Endymion noticed the motion out of the corner of his eye. After finishing his discussion with Adelite, he was quick to make his way towards the bedroom he knew his sister to be hiding in. He'd known she'd been watching, and somehow found comfort in her presence. When she'd disappeared from the corner of the balcony, he'd sensed something was wrong.

As he made his way up the stairs he upped his pace. Perhaps she was ill? Or had in fact been injured during battle and was now feeling the effects. Perhaps her healing had drained her and she was only now feeling weak after her adrenaline had run low. Upon finding her crumbled on the ground, he felt his heart leap and he quickly made his way to her side.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly, though still gentle. His sister's eyes darted up to meet his as he moved closer to her and she offered him a small smile as he expressed his concern.

"Nothing," Ceres responded evenly, and brushed back stray strands of hair once more. "I was just thinking, is all."

"On the floor?" Endymion asked, skeptically. Something was amiss, he could tell in her voice. "You're not… suffering depression from the losses are you? You're not thinking strange things?" His concern etched his voice, which triggered something almost physically in Ceres's manner.

"No," she responded quickly, and offered a reassuring smile, "I am just a bit tired. And while there is a lot of stress, I am not quite to the point where running myself through with my sword is appealing. I have every intention of living and rebuilding Earth when all is done."

Her words put Endymion at some ease, though he knew better than to hope to rebuild Earth, especially after Adelite's update on events. Tomorrow… the battle would end, and Earth would belong to the Negaverse. Beryl had been wise in her tactics, wearing down the army Earth held until defeat was inevitable for Endymion's people.

His arms worked almost on their own accord, wrapping themselves around his sister's smaller form. For a moment, he thought he could feel her heart beating roughly against her chest, nearly as quick as his own. He'd been fighting the idea of his own emotions with the logic that it was combat high, though her touch made him doubt that theory, only for an instant. Guilt washed over him as he reveled in how close she was now, but he did not let go. It would be their last embrace.

Endymion took a deep breath before pulling away and looking deep into Ceres's eyes, which matched his cerulean gaze. He had to save her, and she stood a better chance on the moon… with Dalyite, in that kingdom, than she did on this planet for the final battle. He spoke after a moment, very evenly, "Adelite brought good news."

Ceres tilted her head, snapping out of her own thoughts visibly. "What news is this?"

"The army is wearing, only a small skirmish tomorrow in comparison to today. We need the moon's help for the final battle at the end of the week. I think you're a better negotiator than Dalyite, and perhaps you could convince Queen Serenity to spare some. We needn't many, perhaps only half of her force would ensure our victory."

Endymion watched as his words sunk in, and she looked him over suspiciously. He knew she was questioning him sending her now, during this next skirmish. Before she could ask questions he smiled and spoke first, "I'd rather you go when there isn't as much need for you than be gone when a larger fight comes that you will be needed. He also said there'd be another attack like today in two days, I figure if you left in the morning, early, and tried to talk to her you could be back in time to help me the day after." This seemed to settle her suspicions and he smiles while caressing her cheek, doing his best to keep it brotherly.

"All right, I'll do my best, Endymion," she responds with a warm smile, then wraps her arms around him and he relaxes at the feel of her arms around him. They stayed like that for most the night in silence, and dawn came entirely too soon for the prince.

The brilliant walkway and glimmering fountains were almost blinding to Ceres's eyes. Her arrival had only hours warning, and truly only to the Queen, who knew not the nature of this visit, though anticipated it warmly.

Garbed in a beautiful emerald green and silver dress, Ceres wandered up the pearl path. Glancing to her reflection in the water along the side, she realized that she did clean up rather nicely… though anything restricting free motion in combat was rather uncomfortable during this time. As she approached, several guards greeted her warmly, recognizing the silver crest of Earth worn on an emerald choker around her neck. One of them asked politely, "Princess Ceres, I presume?"

"Indeed," Ceres nodded, relieved that none of her hair escaped to her face from the neat bun on the back of her head, held in place by a silver and emerald comb. "I have come to seek council with Queen Serenity, is she available?"

"Aye, she is expecting you," the same silver-garbed guard responded and motioned for her to follow. "I will take you straight to her."

"My thanks," Ceres smiled graciously and followed him through the marble halls. Music filled the air, and it made her almost sick to her stomach that these moon-dwellers could dance nightly in bliss while her people died every moment. She showed no dismay, however, for she was here for negotiations to mend this resentment she'd built up.

Upon entering the queen's chambers, and seeing the Moon's ruler, Ceres was almost relieved to find that Serenity had the decency to appear worried. The guard left without a word and the princess of Earth approached the queen of the Moon. Offering a gracious bow, more masculine than feminine from habit, Ceres rose only when bid by the soft voice. "No need for formalities, Ceres. I understand you need speak to me, and being so essential in combat in your home I can only assume that your words are dire. Please, speak to me."

Ceres smiled up at her warmly. The queen was already showing signs of generosity and graciousness, perhaps negotiations wouldn't be as hard as she'd expected…

Ceres's head spun as she walked down the elegant marble stairs to the ballroom. Queen Serenity had been interrupted mid-meeting and requested privacy with the messenger, for the news had been rather dire. Artemis, the Queen's handsome weapon master, had insisted upon escorting the Earth's princess to the ball where she would be entertained while awaiting to continue their discussion at a later time.

Offense had been one of the first emotions to surface upon being asked to leave, but Ceres would not disappoint her brother with failure. Earth depended on this meeting, and it would be best if it went well.

Suddenly, her heart stopped as her eyes locked on a pair swirling intimately along the floor. A mirror image of Queen Serenity, down to the platinum knots adorning her fair head, was dancing with the all-too-familiar figure of her Dalyite. It took a moment for her to realize that she was holding her breath, and she quickly forces her shock to leave her. Of course he was dancing with the princess, who else would in her brother's absence? It was certainly for the best, Dalyite was loyal to her and her brother and would never allow anything but friendship to grow between himself and this princess. He was keeping her from dancing with any other suitors of course.

As the dance ended, however, the two made their way to the balcony, and Ceres couldn't help but follow, her curiosity now piqued. Why would they do that? Perhaps he was consoling her in her brother's absence. It had to be so… yet some part of her needed to see that such was all that they were doing. By the time she had made her way through the crowd and to the opening leading to the long walk way, the princess was producing a beautiful golden locket to Dalyite. The melody coming from the star-shaped trinket was beautiful and for a moment the two stared at one another before they spoke, the words muffled with the background noise behind her. Then, to her horror, the two kissed. Even if there was justification for a kiss there, this one was too full of passion to have been anything but what it was.

In that instant, Ceres was filled with a fury unlike any other. Not only was Dalyite, _her_ betrothed, consorting on this planet with her brother's betrothed, but neither seemed to care that any minute now, a small skirmish was breaking out on her home planet.

Within an instant, Ceres was upon them. The sound of a sharp slap filled the air and the couple parted, Princess Serenity staring stunned at the newcomer. Dalyite's eyes reflected his shock and disbelief.

"What sort of princess do you claim to be?" Ceres demanded with eyes full of tears. "Unfaithful harlot, consorting with a simple soldier! Your kingdom will fall under the rule of such a shallow, selfish queen," her eyes snapped to Dalyite before he could speak a word, "And you! How could you, Dalyite?"

"… please, Ceres…" he pleaded, not looking to his beloved's face, though before he could continue, Ceres's closed fist came in contact with his cheek rather forcefully, throwing him back several feet and earning a yelp from Serenity.

"Endymion trusted you!" Ceres sobbed, and moved towards him, only to let out her own yelp as two rather strong arms wrapped around her chest and pulled her away. "Let go!" She cried and began to struggle, and then beat relentlessly against the back of her captor's head, who shoved her against the garden wall nearby roughly.

Artemis, she recognized. His pale blue eyes were locked on hers as he spoke firmly, yet in a softer voice, "Princess Ceres, calm down…"

"Do you not realize what is happening?" Ceres demanded motioning towards the couple, who were now examining each other's wounds and watching her all at once. Neither lover had the decency to walk away from her view.

Artemis shakes his head quickly and murmurs softly, "They are not the concern right now, Ceres," he assures her before reaching into his cloak to produce a cracked and greatly damaged hilt, no blade. "The battle on Earth was devastating; there was a final stand…"

Ceres froze as her eyes fell over the all-too familiar hilt and she tried to back up against the wall to escape the moment's harsh reality. He sent her here to save her… he lied to get her off Earth. Sinking down along the wall she began to tremble, "… no."

"They couldn't find his body anywhere, though truly there was nothing left to see," Artemis continues, then reaches forward to caress her cheek in comfort, only to have his hand slapped away roughly. He froze for a moment before offering the hilt to her. "I'm sorry, Princess."

Ceres reluctantly took her brother's former hilt from his hand though didn't dare to look up. Hugging the battered metal to her chest she buried her face between her knees and let out only a single whimper before crying silently. Artemis, having no clue how to respond, simply backed away slowly to give her time. Dalyite watched her a lingering moment as Serenity fussed quietly over his cheek, now forming a dark bruise. Her own cheek was red though there would be no bruise.

Shortly after, what seemed a storm overtook the palace and from the shadows emerged Earth's former generals. Beryl had wasted no time in attacking the Moon Kingdom after her capture of Earth, it wouldn't do to give them much time to prepare, should they attempt. The Negaverse's queen, having taken notice of Dalyite, distracted herself to capture the soldier. This distraction was long enough to give Queen Serenity the chance to secure all of her people and the Negaverse in crystal orbs and send them back to Earth, where the battle could continue in the future. It was a last attempt to save her people, and hopefully by the time the Negaverse had readied to attack the guardians of each planet would arise and Earth's population would wipe out the evil of Beryl.


End file.
